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Responsive coatings from naturally occurring pectin polysaccharides
Zeinab Veisi1, Nathan D Gallant2, Norma A Alcantar1
1Department of Chemical and Biomedical Engineering, University of South Florida, 4202 E Fowler Ave, Tampa, FL 33620, USA.
Colloids and Surfaces. B, Biointerfaces
|January 20, 2019
Summary
Pectin coatings exhibit temperature-controlled swelling, shrinking as temperature rises due to dehydration. This tunable, natural material shows promise for applications like controlling cell adhesion.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Polymer Chemistry
- Biomaterials Engineering
Background:
- Pectin polysaccharides are natural, non-toxic biopolymers with potential for advanced material applications.
- Developing stimuli-responsive coatings is crucial for smart material design.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the thermally-cued swelling behavior of ultra-thin pectin coatings.
- To explore the tunability of pectin coating responses for potential applications.
Main Methods:
- Fabrication of ultra-thin pectin coatings cross-linked with calcium chloride (CaCl2).
- Investigation of coating swelling using ellipsometry.
- Analysis of temperature-induced transitions using attenuated total reflection Fourier transform infrared (ATR-FTIR) spectroscopy.
Main Results:
- Pectin coatings exhibited significant swelling (2-3 times dry thickness) at low temperatures.
- A distinct hydrophilic-hydrophobic transition was observed with increasing temperature, attributed to pectin dehydration.
- Coating swelling response was tunable by adjusting CaCl2 concentration and pH.
Conclusions:
- Highly-esterified pectin coatings display tunable, temperature-responsive swelling behavior.
- The observed transition is driven by dehydration of galacturonic acid residues.
- These pectin coatings are promising for applications requiring controlled cell adhesion due to their non-toxic and responsive nature.
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